


Bad break

by NatalieRyan



Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: 1x21 episode tag, Day 12, Gen, Hairline Fracture, Hurt Mac, Mac Whump, Whump, Whumptober 2020, broken hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatalieRyan/pseuds/NatalieRyan
Summary: Mac doesn’t come out of the Phoenix breach unscathed
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948579
Comments: 12
Kudos: 60
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Bad break

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SabbyStarlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SabbyStarlight/gifts), [N1ghtshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtshade/gifts).



> I promise, as ominous as the summary sounds, it’s not that bad.   
> Ever since I watched 1x21 for the first time I had this thought that Mac earned himself a hairline fracture to his cheek, because both hits to that particular spot were enough to split the skin, so if the strength that punch packed the first time, the second time it could be even worse, right? Oh, well, that’s the way a whumper’s mind works.   
> And then I realized he was holding his hand close to his body, like it was hurting… and my mind went with him breaking the hand as well… so that happened.  
> Dr. Ray Langston is once again borrowed from CSI (it seems to be a running theme to borrow names/characters from that TV show for my Whumptober fics, ooops).  
> Huge thanks go (as always) to SabbyStarlight that encouraged me to write down this fic prompt back when it was just a fleeting thought. And to N1ghtshade that helped with pushing me that one step further to actually get to writing this one, and for the beta. You are awesome!  
> Without a further ado, let’s get on to the story.

Mac leaned against the wall of the War Room. He didn't take two steps before the day caught up with him. It was an exhausting day, and if he didn't believe the Cairo curse before, he sure did now. He should have listened to Jack. From now on though, Mac would do anything in his power not to work on Cairo day. 

Jack caught up to him and the grin on his face faded as he noticed Mac leaning with all he had and struggling to stay upright. 

Mac smiled tiredly at him, trying to put Jack's mind at ease, but from the looks of it he did a poor job of masking how he really felt.

"Man, it's been a long day. My body is aching. I'm sure my bruises have bruises." 

"Yeah, tell me about it." 

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." 

"I think what I need is my bed after our trip to Medical. It feels like if I move, I'll fall over." 

"C'mere hoss, lean on me. We'll get you to Medical." 

"You mean both of us. You are getting checked out, too, remember? Matty's orders." 

"Okay, Mr. 'Stickler for the rules'. Lead the way." 

They trudged down the hall to the elevators that Riley managed to bring back to normal before she left with Bozer to the hospital. 

Once inside, Mac leaned against the elevator and let the day sink in. The adrenaline was wearing off and Mac started to feel the aches of the day. And then it hit him out of nowhere. 

Blinding pain coursed through the left side of his face, and it paralyzed him for a moment. Mac yelped when it made black spots dance around in front of his eyes from how much his cheek hurt. 

Mac could barely make out Jack's voice. He was focused on breathing through the pain. Jack appeared in his line of sight, voice soft and his hand on Mac's neck.

"What's wrong, Mac? What happened?" 

"It hurts." 

"What hurts?" 

"My cheek. The left side of my face. Everywhere." 

Mac sighed, even talking hurt and judging by how Jack looked all blurry and twisted even though he was in front of Mac, Mac could add his sight on being wonky to the issue. He couldn't remember which hit hurt more, the first or the second or both together, but whatever it was happening to his face, it was spreading all over: his forehead, eyebrow, and finished at the jaw and chin. Even his teeth hurt. Not that he had anything wrong with them, his last dentist appointment went well, without any issues. 

"Hey, Mac, try and stay upright for me, okay? It's just a few floors up, we are almost there." 

Mac grunted in assent as he leaned more against Jack. And he felt Jack shift so he could adjust to Mac's added weight. Mac was thankful for Jack, he always knew what Mac needed and he provided it. 

"That's it, hoss. I'm here. Where else are you hurting?" 

Mac couldn't tell him, the pain his face was in, no, not the pain, the agony, prevented him from assessing where else he might have been hurt. It was completely possible he was hurt somewhere else but the pain pulsating in his cheek and around his eye was preventing him from knowing.  _ Feeling _ . 

Mac didn't realize he wasn't breathing right or that he was listing too much against Jack until he felt Jack's hand on his neck. 

"Breathe with me, hoss." 

Mac tried to pull in a breath, but it hurt so so much. He closed his eyes and the pain was even worse behind the eyelid. 

"Shhh, you are okay. You are in one of the Phoenix elevators. We are going to Medical." 

"I'm not..." Mac wheezed. "Not panicking. Jus'... the pain." 

"You can't breathe because of the pain? Oh, Mac. Couple of more stories and we are there." 

"'Kay." 

The only thing that Mac could register at the moment were Jack's hands holding him upright and Jack's voice, as always, talking about anything and nothing. It felt soothing and Mac used it as a guide to calm his breathing, although every time he inhaled deeply, it sent a spiking pain into his skull. 

"We are here." Jack whispered and opened the doors to Medical. He led Mac straight to their usual doctor on scene, Dr. Ray Langston. Quirky guy with a fun sense of medical humor that always had his patients as first priority. As soon as he saw them, he smirked and pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. Then he changed his face to the serious one, and approached them. 

"What the hell happened to you two now?" 

...

Ray pulled on some gloves and then gently helped Mac to sit on the examination bed. Jack, now that he wasn't needed to support his partner,  _ literally _ , moved to Mac's right side to let the doctor work. The damage was on the left side, and Jack winced as Ray's fingers started prodding around the cheek area that was rapidly swelling. 

"Do you experience any pain in the jaw?" 

"Yeah." Mac's voice was laced with pain and he sounded awful. Jack wanted to make that pain go away. He hated to see the kid hurting. 

"Okay. Any nosebleed?" 

Mac looked like he was trying hard to focus. 

"I can't remember." 

Every word seemed punched out of Mac and Jack was now worried. 

"Okay. There's tenderness around the area where the hit, more than one if I assume correctly, took place. It's swelling fast. Have you experienced any vision problems? Blurry vision? Spots? Blackout?" 

"Y-yes." 

"And here's the jaw pain as well. Numbness around the eye? It feels like dull, thudding pain, but after a while it just settles in and tingles?" 

"Mhm." 

Mac was hurting and Jack wanted to comfort him as much as he could. Without giving it much thought, Jack grabbed Mac's right hand to squeeze in reassurance since it was the closest to where he was. 

Mac yelped and then he had those baby blues trained on him and Jack was hurting just from seeing the tears that were getting ready to spill. 

Jack looked at the hand in his, certain he hurt his kid, when he saw the appendage was red and swollen and some of the bones shifted when Jack tried to carefully check. 

"Mac? What did I do? Did I hurt you?" 

Mac shook his head and then grunted when he realized it was a bad idea.

"Mac, is your hand hurting as well?" Doctor Langston asked. 

Mac tried to move it, but Jack could feel him tense as pain shot up in his arm. 

"I guess. I didn't realize I hit it that hard." 

"You hit what now? Bud, I thought we agreed you would leave the punching to me." Jack gently mocked and saw Mac's lips twitch in an almost-smile. 

"Yeah, well, you weren't around so pardon me for having to act quickly." 

"I will send you for some x-rays on that hand and on your face, so after the results are in, I am going to send you to our resident dentist to give you a recommendation for a maxillofacial surgeon that can get that hairline fracture on your cheek fixed. Meanwhile we'll have to see about the damage to your hand." 

"Hairline fracture?" Jack asked incredulously. 

"Yes. I'm pretty sure it's that. The x-rays should confirm my suspicions." 

They were whisked away after the doc wrote them up the instructions and they were on their way out. 

Mac was still in pain, and Jack wished he could take the pain from the kid. He didn't deserve to be hurt after he went through hell, like all of them did, to keep the Phoenix and everyone working in it safe.

Mac didn't protest when he was wheeled off for the x-rays which left Jack waiting and pacing the (thankfully!) empty hall. He was sure no one appreciated when he did that. But he couldn't sit still while Mac was out of his sight. Mac got hurt on Cairo day of all days, and Jack was too strung up to fully relax and claim the day to be over. 

He received a text from Riley saying Bozer was going to be fine and Jack exhaled in relief. He asked her how was she and by the way Riley skirted around the answer he knew that she wasn't fine.

Finally Mac got out and together with the scans they returned to Dr. Langston. 

He was very optimistic about the hand and in no time, Mac's hand was in a blue cast, after the bones were set. Thankfully, the fractures didn't require surgery. 

As for his cheek, the doc was right. So once they got everything settled with him, Jack carefully helped Mac to get back into the elevator and even though the dentist was one floor downstairs, Jack wasn't going to make the kid walk the steps while in pain.

"Ugh, Jack. When are we supposed to get back?" 

Jack looked at him, confused. 

"Back where?" 

"To the War Room. Matty said to bring mops. We have to help her clean up the building." 

"No moping for you for at least a month until that hand heals properly and I mean no moping literally and figuratively. And that's without your pretty face being all busted up." 

Mac laughed and then grimaced in pain.

"You see what I mean? It will hurt you to eat and swallow for a while, bud. So no strenuous activities." 

"Just admit you want me around for yourself." Mac joked back and the mischief in his eyes was enough to make Jack snort-laugh. 

"Yeah, yeah. Of course I do. You are my number one priority, you know that right?" 

Mac's face was serious now, and he carefully nodded. 

"I do. And for the record-" Mac stopped for a while, grinding his teeth as pain shot up in his jaw. "For the record, I was hoping you'd say that. Boze will be out of commission for a while." 

"True. You know I'd never leave you, hoss. Never ever." 

Jack was referring to more than just the post injury help. That was what was natural for either of them. He couldn't help but think of the letter that his partner sent to his father and it was returned to him, unopened. Or maybe it was opened and said father read it and just did a good job to make it look like it was unopened. But Jack didn't want to dwell too much on it. If Mac Senior wasn't around, Jack sure was. And he wasn't gonna leave. Ever.

"I know that." Mac said and Jack somehow had the feeling Mac understood what Jack wasn't saying.

"I'll always be there. Whatever you need." 

"Well, right now I need to sleep for 12 hours straight." 

"Nuh-uh, buddy. Dentist first. Sleep later." 

"Oh my God, I am going to resemble a chipmunk that was beaten to a pulp, right?" 

The sudden exclamation combined with the way Mac's face looked, had Jack bursting in a hysterical laugh that followed them to the dentist's office. 

"Oh Mac, you have no idea." 

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
